Sir Robert McAlpine has promised to create a ‘positive and lasting’ community impact, after winning a major contract to provide groundworks and concrete structures for projects at the Sellafield nuclear site.

The firm has joined Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners (PPP) as a key delivery partner and has pledged to create a host of opportunities for West Cumbria over the lifetime of the £1bn, 17-year framework.

Sir Robert McAlpine will open a regional office in Copeland, Cumbria in the next couple of years, as well as recruiting local workers and suppliers.

The firm is also set to invest in apprenticeships and training after winning the key contract.

Tony Gates, managing director, civil engineering, for Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “We’re thrilled and excited to join the Programme and Project Partners team at Sellafield.

“Its industry leading approach to delivering complex infrastructure projects in a highly regulated sector aligns with our commitment to engineering excellence and effective collaboration that is embedded in our family values and inclusive culture.

“Through this long-term appointment, we intend to make a lasting, positive impact on local communities in West Cumbria by boosting employment, promoting skills and education, working with trusted supply chain partners in the region, and creating a tangible, measurable social impact.”

Hertfordshire-based Sir Robert McAlpine has a strong relationship with Sellafield, where it successfully completed projects from the mid-1980s until 2017.

The Programme and Project Partners multi-project procurement model was mobilised in 2019 to transform Sellafield Ltd’s major project delivery.

It aims to encourage long-term collaboration throughout the supply chain to enhance project delivery, create greater economic and social impact, and deliver value for the UK.

Luke Richardson, head of social impact for Programme and Project Partners, said it was great to have a leading UK construction and civil engineering company on board.

“Sir Robert McAlpine has made some great commitments as part of this contract,” he added.

“They’ve committed to support local employment, but they’ve gone further in committing to both the Building Future Trades and the Programme and Project Partners Internship Scheme. 

“These are targeted employability schemes which will provide life changing opportunities for people in West Cumbria.

“They have pledged to work with local small and medium enterprises; voluntary, community, and social enterprises, and charities.”

He added the proposed new regional office in addition to this pledge of working with local organisations is “great news for the area”.

“We look forward to working with the team at Sir Robert McAlpine and sharing updates on how these investments have impacted the area but more so, the people in our community,” he said.

Sellafield is now one of the country’s largest infrastructure projects, supporting 60,000 jobs.